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New Film Studio Comes To Livonia

LIVONIA (WWJ) - A high-tech multi-million dollar movie studio will be unveiled Tuesday in the city of Livonia.

Producer and CEO Philippe Martinez of Maxsar Digital Studio is behind the film and digital media studio, located near the Jeffries Freeway and I-275. The expansive structure is taking over three buildings once occupied by Roush Industries.

Spokesman Ken Droz says 50 people already work for the studio, and they'll be hiring more from the area. "He's [Martinez] got contract screenwriters that he's hired from Michigan. A new leading actress that he discovered here in Michigan and about 50 people are on the payroll working in all sorts of crafts of CGI, screenwriting, stage craft and administrative work."

Droz adds that the Michigan Film Credit Incentives played a large role in the new studio deciding to move to Livonia. And he says Martinez has a lot of plans, including work on a feature film set in a futuristic Detroit. Droz says this type of film, with a $16 million budget and state-of-the-art technology has never been done in Michigan.

Droz adds that the studio owner plans to do one big budget film and two smaller budget films each year.

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